In the Old Testament, initial commandments, laws and principles were passed down through word of mouth from one generation to the next. Until Moses arrived upon the scene, there was no written word of God. As one of the forefathers of Israel, God spoke directly to Moses, usually in the mountains on either Mount Horeb and or Sinai. One of the messages delivered to Moses is that there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood.
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life, Leviticus 17:11.
In the early first century, Jesus built an earthly ministry using disciples. Prior to his death of the cross, Jesus revealed the purpose for his human sacrifice. Befuddled by Jesus words, many of his followers thought he would become an earthly king. Thus, it wasn’t until resurrection Sunday when the disciples began to connect the dots. The apostle Paul writes several of his epistles about the point of the cross. Jesus who had no sin became sin for us so that in Christ, we might become the righteous of God.
He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world, 1 John 2:2.
An entire chapter of 1 Corinthians is devoted to Jesus’ relationship to the cross. According to 1 Corinthians 15, Jesus conquered sin and death with his resurrection. In a letter to the church at Colosse, Paul talks about how Christians are buried with Christ in their baptism and raised with Him through the resurrection. So what is the point of the cross? Life begins at the cross, Matthew 16:24-26, as you deny yourself, take up the cross and follow Jesus as a servant and vessel of love.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 